First Kiss
by TSOM fan
Summary: One of the Von Trapp children discovers love for the first time.....
1. Breakfast

"FIRST KISS" by TSOM fan.  
  
Disclaimer: The Sound of Music and its characters belong to 20th Century Fox. No infringement intended. I'm only fooling around a bit!  
  
A/N: I started this story after watching The Sound of Music with my friend Nathalie.  
  
She adores Friedrich and we were fooling around a bit on what would happen if he would fall in love for the first time! So I actually wrote this story for her, but I hope you'll enjoy it too!  
  
The story takes places a few months after the Von Trapps settled down in Switzerland, so early 1939.  
  
Many thanks to ILUVTSOM, who helped me loading this story!  
  
Ps: I'm from Belgium so English is not my native tongue. Please forgive me my mistakes!  
  
Chapter 1: A HAPPY LIFE  
  
After a long winter thaw had finally set in.  
  
Small rivers snow water ran down the hills and in the early morning, the birds could be heard again.  
  
Although it still was a long way until summer would begin, the weather looked very promising.  
  
In the dining room of the Von Trapp household, things were very busy, as on every weekday.  
  
"Good morning," Maria greeted each child that entered the room with a kiss,  
  
"I'm so glad spring is starting again!"  
  
She was busy cutting Gretl's sandwich in little pieces and Rosa, the maid who had been hired by her husband short after their arrival, was pouring out milk, tea and coffee.  
  
"No Kurt, no coffee for you," she said stern, when Kurt handed her his cup when she came by, "It will keep you awake until far after midnight!"  
  
"But Liesl drinks it too!" the boy protested, "And she falls asleep even earlier than I do!"  
  
"Kurt," Maria smiled, "We discussed this before. No coffee for you until you're 15!"  
  
Kurt made a face but was soon smiling again.  
  
"Brigitta, could you please put your book down," Maria laughed when she saw how her daughter entered the room with her nose in the French version of "Les Miserables", "You won't enjoy breakfast when you're reading at the same time."  
  
"You know," Brigitta answered while putting the book away,  
  
"The people in Les Miserables never had breakfast, apart from the very rich ones."  
  
Louisa and Kurt exchanged smiles.  
  
"Why do you always have to be the wisest?" Kurt commented while rolling his eyes.  
  
Brigitta didn't answer when she took in her place at the breakfast table between her brother and Liesl.  
  
"She has always been the smartest among us," Liesl said with an encouraging smile, "Haven't you, Brigitta?"  
  
""I guess so," the girl replied, taking a piece of bread from the basket in the middle of the table.  
  
After breakfast, the children started to prepare for a new day at school.  
  
Maria assisted Rosa with tidying up the dining room. Despite her protests, Georg had insisted on hiring a maid after their arrival in Switzerland.  
  
"Do you think I can't handle this family on my own?" she had asked a little insulted.  
  
Her husband had laughed and shaken his head, "Of course not," he had replied,  
  
"You're Mrs Domestic Goddess yourself, aren't you?"  
  
Maria had made a face and Georg had taken her hand, "But I don't want you to spend all your days- and nights- cleaning and tidying up and cooking and washing.I think we also should have some time for ourselves."  
  
The look he had given her had made Maria blush.  
  
"Alright," she had answered him, not completely convinced, "You may hire your maid.'"  
  
That's how Rosa had arrived and to be honest, Maria was quite happy with her now.  
  
A family of seven children indeed took a lot of time every day- Maria couldn't count the hours she had spend on doing the groceries and making beds anymore.  
  
She smiled when she heard the children in the hall.  
  
"Mother!" little Gretl yelled, "Will you come too? I want to wave them goodbye!"  
  
And as every morning, Maria took Gretl's hand and together they waved when the older children left for school, until none of them could be seen anymore.  
  
*  
  
A/N In another story on FF.net (I don't remember which one), I read how Brigitta was reading the French version of Les Miserables. So I actually "stole" that from another story!  
  
I know, for a story about Friedrich there's not much Friedrich interaction in this first chapter, but don't worry, there are three more chapters to go!  
  
Where's the Captain? I don't know. Maybe he is sitting on the breakfast table as well, reading a paper. Or maybe he had to go out early to meet someone in the nearest town. 


	2. School

Chapter 2: SCHOOL DAYS  
  
Although he loved being a part of a big family and wouldn't want to miss their busy chats at the breakfast table, Friedrich found his siblings quite annoying this morning.  
  
While walking to school, Brigitta gave him one of her investigating looks and told him he was unusual quiet today. Kurt nodded and then the others, except Liesl, agreed. Liesl only smiled at him and continued her talk with Marta.  
  
"What's wrong with you?" Louisa asked, "You're always the one who seems to be the most awake in the morning. You always make me want put my head under the blankets again when."  
  
"Can't you just be quiet?" Friedrich interrupted, while staring to the ground,  
  
"I just got a bit of a headache, that's all."  
  
"You should have taken some aspirin then before we left home,'" Brigitta stated wisely. From the tone in her voice, Friedrich could tell she did not believe him.  
  
He did not answer and pursed his lips instead.  
  
Fortunately, they arrived at school soon thereafter.  
  
Liesl took Marta to her friends in the playground and the other children made their own ways to their classes.  
  
The school was small and situated in a wooden building in the middle of the village.  
  
After their arrival in Switzerland, the Captain and Maria had had a talk with the head master and had explained him the situation.  
  
Now, after a few months, all the children seemed quite happy in their classes and also had made some friends.  
  
Even Marta, the shy one of the family, enjoyed her new environment.  
  
When Friedrich entered the classroom, most of the pupils had already taken their seats and were busy talking.  
  
"Hey, Friedrich!" Ernst shouted, "I thought you would never come!"  
  
Friedrich shrugged his shoulders and took his seat next to him.  
  
Ernst was quite nice and had been very helpful after their arrival.  
  
Friedrich had struggled with the Swiss-German dialect in the beginning, but Ernst had never made fun of his Salzburg accent and had always helped him out when their teacher, Mr Gast, had used incomprehensible words to explain things.  
  
"Morning, Friedrich," Kathi Simming said, taking her seat right behind him and smiling.  
  
"Hello," was the only thing Friedrich said, while placing books on his desk.  
  
"You look like you didn't get a lot of sleep last night," Kathi continued.  
  
Friedrich didn't answer. He didn't like Kathi Simming with her girly manners and giggles.  
  
She seemed to enjoy teasing him, and always managed to make him feel awkward.  
  
When Ernst had told Friedrich that Kathi liked him, Friedrich had given his friend a questioning look.  
  
"You know," Ernst had continued, "she likes you a lot", with the stress on the last two words.  
  
To his annoyance, he had turned red and Ernst had laughed at him, "I guess that means you like her too!" he had said.  
  
Friedrich had only shaken his head and had started another subject.  
  
He really couldn't stand Kathi Simming, whether she liked him or not.  
  
"Take your history books, we will start with the French revolution today," Mr Gast entered the classroom,  
  
"Heinz, sit straight and stop talking, Marie be quiet!"  
  
Everyone opened their books. Another school day had begun.  
  
*  
  
A/N It would be logical if the older children would have enrolled high school but I decided to have all the classes in the same school building. I figured that the village where the family settled down is maybe quite high in the Swiss Alps, or that the nearest high school is in the next town, so there is one school for all the pupils in the village. 


	3. Observant Briggita

Chapter 3: OBSERVANT BRIGITTA  
  
"Kurt! Why do you always have to take my stuff?" Brigitta entered the living room with quick steps, "You barrowed my atlas without even asking me and now I can't find it anymore!"  
  
Kurt looked up, "What makes you think I took it?" he asked, taking another cookie from box on the table,  
  
"Maybe it was Louisa or."  
  
"Was not!" an annoyed Louisa gave her brother a shove, "You're always the one who takes our things without asking!"  
  
"Alright," Kurt made a face at her, "It's in my room. You can take it."  
  
"How nice of you," Brigitta said with an ironic undertone in her voice, "I'd better go and get it now before you lose it all the way!"  
  
She made her way to the boys room and entered without knocking.  
  
Friedrich was sitting at his desk with his history book in front of him,  
  
"Don't you people ever knock?" he asked annoyed.  
  
"I need my atlas," Brigitta answered without further explanation, "It must be here somewhere."  
  
While rummaging among the things on Kurt's desk, she looked at her oldest brother.  
  
"You have hardly eaten anything tonight," she said, "and you were so quiet at the diner table."  
  
Friedrich looked up, "Since when do you care about what I eat?" he asked her, still pretty irritated.  
  
"Mother said it too," Brigitta continued without paying too much attention to what Friedrich just said,  
  
"That you've been so quiet lately. And Louisa."  
  
she smiled when she thought about her sister's comment, ".found it a real improvement."  
  
Friedrich shook his head, "Don't you have anything else to discuss?" he asked.  
  
Brigitta shrugged her shoulders. "I guess not," she said.  
  
She turned to him, "Does Kathi Simming still bother you so much?" she asked.  
  
Friedrich looked up, "What are you talking about?" he asked, feeling a bit uncomfortable.  
  
"The other day, you mentioned how annoying she was," Brigitta said and smiled,  
  
"And when I saw today that you can hardly eat anything, and that you're so quiet, I thought."  
  
She took a deep breath, because she knew her brother would not like what she had to say,  
  
"You're in love with her!"  
  
Friedrich felt how he turned red, and he hated himself for it.  
  
"I'm not!" he said angrily, "What makes you even think that?"  
  
"The way you behaved lately," Brigitta answered calmly, "You've really been acting funny lately!"  
  
Friedrich didn't answer. He stood up and left the room without saying another word.  
  
In love.He didn't even like Kathi!  
  
Oh yes, Brigitta had always been the observant one of the family, but that did not necessarily mean that she was right!  
  
She was only 10 years old, what did she know about this stuff?  
  
.What did he know about this stuff?  
  
Brigitta could not know how much he detested Kathi's manners: the irritating smile she gave him when he happened to turn around in class, the way she shook her head so her dark hair danced around her face, the way she put her hand on his arm when she was talking to him.  
  
At night, just before drifting away in a deep sleep, he often saw her smiling face in front of him, and then he wondered why she could not leave him alone - not even in his sleep!  
  
Friedrich went downstairs, and hoped he would not run into one of his family members.  
  
He really wanted to be alone right now.  
  
"Friedrich, where are you going to?" Maria stopped him before he could open the front door, "It's almost dark!"  
  
"I only want to take a little walk," Friedrich answered, "I'll be back soon."  
  
Maria gave him an examining look, "Are you sure you're alright, darling?" she asked him a bit worried.  
  
Somehow, Friedrich had not been his cheerful self lately, neither did he seem to have much of an appetite.  
  
"You're not sick, are you?" Before she could place a hand on his forehead, Friedrich had already taken his coat,  
  
"I'm fine," he said, "I'll be back in ten minutes."  
  
"Don't go too far!" Maria said before closing the door behind him.  
  
Friedrich took a deep breath and looked at the sky where a few stars had already appeared.  
  
In love.that was really the most ridiculous thing he had ever heard.  
  
Oh yes, he had been thinking about Kathi Simming quite a lot lately.  
  
She had been on his mind, well.most of the time actually.  
  
But that was only because the sight of her face in the morning had been causing funny stomach cramps lately he had never had before. In fact, sometimes he even felt a sort of sickness when she talked to him.  
  
When she looked at him and smiled, he felt as if he had caught a high fever.  
  
He really didn't know why of all people in class Kathi Simming made him feel like that, but it couldn't be that he had feelings for her.  
  
After all, people who were in love should feel happy all the time, shouldn't they?  
  
They shouldn't feel sick, or confused, or glum - all at the same time.  
  
They also should want to be with the one they loved every hour of the day.  
  
He certainly didn't want to be with Kathi all the time.  
  
He was pretty sure about that. or not?  
  
*  
  
A/N I thought it would be fun to let Brigitta be the one who notices that Friedrich is in love - and also tells him so.  
  
In the movie, she's the one who tells Maria that "her face is all red" after dancing with the Captain. And if I remember correctly, she's the one who tells Maria and the Captain are in love in the original Broadway play. I wanted Friedrich to feel quite confused about what she tells him - he is in love but doesn't know it himself yet! I think that's quite normal for a 14-year-old boy, who only just started noticing girls.  
  
In imnotacommittee's "Eight on Wednesday" the name of Friedrich's girlfriend is Kaethe. When my friend and I discussed about a good name for a girl, she came up with the name Kathi- although she had never even read the story. She had taken it from a Swiss movie she had just seen. So although it may sound unlikely, it's a pure coincidence! I decided to keep the name anyway, because I liked it a lot. I hope you won't mind, imnotacommittee! 


	4. A first for everything

A/N Unfortunately, I've been sick, so it took me quite a while to update the last chapter of the story.  
  
Thanks to Victoria Preston, MaryAnne, Flying Amon, frosty-freeze, Ingrid, anonymous 327, Another tsom fan and loveinthehorizon for their reviews.  
  
And thanks to ILUVTSOM for uploading this last chapter!  
  
Please review! Thanks!  
  
Romy  
  
Chapter 4: FIRST KISS  
  
"Thank you," Friedrich said when the woman behind the counter handed him an envelope.  
  
His father had sent him to the post office to pick up a letter – a welcome break from his homework.  
  
The French revolution could not interested him the tiniest little bit, although Brigitta kept bothering him with quotes from "Les Miserables" over and over again.  
  
"Les Miserables is not even about the French revolution," he had told her eventually, not able to hide his irritation, "It's situated 25 years after it."  
  
"I know that," Brigitta had said in her usual wise tone, "But those people fought for freedom as well- just as during the revolution."  
  
It had been a relief when the Captain had entered the study and had requested him to go to the post office.  
  
When Friedrich stepped into the sunlight again, he heard a cheerful voice behind him.  
  
"Hello!"  
  
Friedrich turned around and saw a smiling Kathi with a grocery basket in her hand.  
  
"Oh...hello," he answered.  
  
All at once, he felt very awkward.  
  
His voice had started going up and down lately, an inexhaustible source of fun for his sisters, especially Brigitta and Louisa, who kept asking him when he would finally be able to control his voice again.  
  
"Just a few more months, and you'll have to start shaving!" Louisa had mentioned the other day before Maria gave her a warning look.  
  
Afterwards, he had studied his face in the bathroom mirror and to his relief he hadn't seen any signs of a growing moustache or beard yet.  
  
Now standing in front of Kathi with her dark dancing curls and broad smile, Friedrich noticed he was not able to look at her directly.  
  
Somehow, his eyes wandered off to the cross on top of the church, the trees in the middle of the village square, bypassers...actually everything but Kathi.  
  
He had never felt so nervous before in his life.  
  
He felt his heart beating, and he could only hope he would be able keep his voice under control now.  
  
"Where are you going to?" Kathi playfully twisted a curl around her finger.  
  
"I'm going home," Friedrich replied. To his enormous relief, his voice seemed to sound normal, "I had to pick up something for my father."  
  
"Oh I see," Kathi smiled, "What a pity you have to go already."  
  
She shrugged her shoulders when he gave her a questioning look,  
  
"I wanted to take a walk through the fields," she explained,  
  
"But I don't want to go there alone."  
  
Friedrich nodded, "I can go with you if you want," he offered.  
  
Kathi looked up, "Won't your father be angry when you won't come home straight away?" she asked him.  
  
Friedrich laughed, "I've done worse I suppose," he answered and her clear laugh relaxed him a bit.  
  
Minutes later they were on their way. Kathi was chatting and laughing and pointing out things and Friedrich noticed her company made him happier than he could have imagined.  
  
After a little while, Kathi's face turned serious, "I think it's very brave what your family have done," she said.  
  
"What?" Friedrich asked, not knowing what she meant.  
  
"Well, you know..." Kathi looked up, "Fleeing Austria and leaving everything behind...I don't know if I could have done it."  
  
Friedrich shrugged his shoulders, "We didn't have much of a choice," he said. Kathi nodded, "I guess you hadn't," she answered.  
  
Friedrich felt how she took his hand. He didn't want her to notice how nervous he was, so he smiled at her as confidentialy as possible while they continued their walk through the lush fields.  
  
A little later, Kathi looked at the sky, „I think it's going to rain", she said, "We'd better go."  
  
Friedrich nodded, thinking about what he could say to her.  
  
Kathi smiled and touched his arm, just as she had done before when they were talking.  
  
But somehow, it felt different.  
  
Friedrich smiled at her nervously, not really knowing what she expected from him now.  
  
Later, when he reflected that moment, Friedrich couldn't remember why Kathi's face was so close to his all at once. He only remembered he had felt warm and cold at the same time.  
  
He closed his eyes when Kathi's soft lips touched his.  
  
Of course, he had been kissed before. By his mother. By his sisters. By his stepmother.  
  
But this was different. It almost took his breath away.  
  
Kathi stepped backwards and looked at him, a little smile on her face.  
  
"That was..." Friedrich was trying to think about what he could say to her. He wanted to tell her how beautiful she was, standing in the sunlight, or how much he had loved the feeling of her warm lips on his skin, but he couldn't find the right words to describe it.  
  
"That was good," he said eventually.  
  
Kathi laughed, "You're really sweet," she said and took Friedrich's hand again.  
  
They followed their way in silence. Friedrich looked aside to the girl with the dancing curls on her shoulders and smiled.  
  
He had never known life could be so beautiful.  
  
END  
  
*  
  
A/N I hope you enjoyed the story. I realize I could have made this thing a lot „hotter" if I had wanted, but I wanted to write a story about a boy's first love/kiss, not a passionate love story and most important, I wanted Friedrich to stay in character. My friend and I figured that he would probably be quite shy when he likes a girl so I decided to have Kathi to take the initiative...if both would be too shy to do anything there wouldn't have been much of a story!  
  
The last chapter was the hardest to write, because I was not sure how to describe Friedrich's feelings when he bumps into Kathi unexpectedly, and how he would react after she kissed him. I hope you liked it! 


End file.
